身體最重要的部位

THE MOST IMPORTANT BODY PART

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. Through the years I would guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.”

She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.”

She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”

Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No, but you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then last year, my Grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived your life.” I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

I asked, “Is it because it holds up your head?”

She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

【日積月累】

◇contemplate v. 注視，打算，沉思

◇sympathetic adj. 有同情心的

【參考譯文】

身體最重要的部位

我媽媽以前問過我身體里最重要的部位是哪。一年又一年過去了，我老是在想正確的答案。

當我還小，我覺得聽覺對于人類很重要，所以我說：“我的耳朵，媽媽。”

她說：“不對，很多人耳聾。你再想想，以后再問你。”

幾年過去后她又問我。自第一次嘗試后，我一直在思考正確答案。

所以這次我告訴她：“媽媽，視力對每個人都很重要，所以答案肯定是我們的眼睛。”

她看著我說：“你學得很快，但是答案不對，因為失眠的人大有人在。”

接下來幾年，媽媽又問過我幾次，但是她的回答總是：“不對，但是你越來越聰明了，我的孩子。”

去年我爺爺去世。每個人都很傷心，都在哭泣。輪到我們去給爺爺做最后的道別時媽媽看著我。她問：“親愛的，你知道身體里什么部位最重要嗎？”

她這時候問我，讓我很驚訝。我以前以為這只是我和她之間的一個游戲。她看到我臉上的疑惑，對我說：“這個問題很重要。它告訴你你是不是真正地活過。”我看見她眼里的淚水開始洋溢。她說：“親愛的，身體里最重要的部位是你的肩膀。”

我問：“是因為它支起你的腦袋嗎？”

她回答：“不是，是因為當你的朋友或深愛的人哭泣時它能支起他們的腦袋。親愛的，每個人的一生中有時需要依偎在一個肩膀上哭泣。我只希望你得到足夠的愛，足夠的朋友，當你需要的時候，能找到一個肩膀趴在上面哭泣。”

此時此刻我才明白身體最重要的部位是無私的一個部位。它能憐憫他人的苦痛。

【人生啟迪】

內心麻木的人，世界在他眼里只是一個堅硬冰冷的星球。只有懷著一顆憐憫之心的人，世界才是一個豐富多彩溫暖動人的地方。因為富有同情心的人愿意主動付出，體會他人的痛處，所以當他受傷的時候總有肩膀來療傷。而麻木不仁的人不理會他人的傷痛，當自己受傷時，只能自個兒舔吸傷口。